It Takes An Army
THE TOUGHEST HAZARD ISN’ T WATER For all the planning involved in preparing a championship venue, one feature has caused Holbrook and his staff more concern than any other: the bunkers.
“ I think you can go to any golf course, I feel like bunkers are always going to be an issue,” Holbrook said.
Creating consistency has proven especially difficult in Virginia’ s climate. Heavy rain compacts the bunker floors, making them play firm while leaving the steep bunker faces soft and dry. The result is two completely different playing conditions within the same bunker— exactly the kind of inconsistency Holbrook hopes to eliminate before the Korn Ferry Tour arrives.
The amount of sand isn’ t the problem. Instead, the maintenance staff plans to hand-water bunker faces while carefully limiting moisture in the bunker floors— a balancing act that requires constant attention as weather conditions change. Holbrook hopes to have the bunkers dialed in by the end of August while the maintenance staff is at full strength, giving the team several weeks to refine those conditions.
One thing that may ease Holbrook’ s mind, however, is that the TOUR understands bunkers can’ t always be controlled. They are, after all, hazards.
“ The whole idea behind a bunker is that a player misjudged a shot,” Connolly said.“ They need to figure it out.”
DEVELOPING PEOPLE, NOT JUST TURF Around the time The Federal Club was selected to host the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, Holbrook restructured the agronomy department to create a clearer path for advancement, adding leadership positions that give employees opportunities to grow.
“ I wanted to create a workplace where if you felt like you could come here, there would be positions for you to advance your career,” Holbrook said.“ You wouldn’ t come here and feel stuck.”
That philosophy extends beyond job titles. Rather than keeping management responsibilities to himself, Holbrook rotates leadership duties among his team. Superintendent Robert Starcher and the lead assistant superintendent alternate weeks running the operation— creating schedules, overseeing quality control, and making day-to-day decisions that many assistant superintendents don’ t experience until they lead a department of their own.
For Starcher, those opportunities have accelerated his professional growth.
“ The other course I was at, I never did any scheduling or quality control or crew leadership,” Starcher said.“ Now, having that opportunity, I feel much more aware of what’ s going on, what needs to get done, and the timing of everything.”
Learning to delegate was one of the most important lessons of Holbrook’ s own career. Today, he encourages his managers to make decisions, and occasionally make mistakes, because that’ s how future superintendents are developed.
“ Ryan does a phenomenal job of making us feel like he has our backs,” Starcher said.
CHRIS LANG, HAT CREEK GOLF COURSE
16 V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER / O CTOBER 2026 vsga. org